Other than the Pitch- virtually no other Kansas City news media is reporting this story and there's been absolutely no mention on Channel 4's morning newscast I've been enduring for the past 45 minutes (and ended at 10 a.m. without nary a mention of Mr. Harman!).

It seems that the fill-in weather person Karli Ritter(?)seems rather sad this morning (forced smiles)- but there appears to be the usual buffoonery around the "news" desk.

Anyway- the rumor mill from last night had it that somehow 41-year-old Mr. Harman committed suicide- but that hasn't been confirmed either since it's (mostly the) policy of local news media to not report suicides.

All the above information had been confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. Harman passed away as a result of suicide in his south Kansas City home around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Regardless- I'm sure I feel as you do in passing on my most sincere condolences to Don Harman's friends and family in this overwhelming time....

17 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I doubt he's passed. I can't find any definitive answers. Just rumors.

Fox 4 KC Morning NewsGood morning. We know many of you have questions. We appreciate your concern, and we consider you our friends.But please remember that family comes first. We're honoring that right now, and we ask that you join us in that.Please bear with us for a little while longer. -Loren & Mark

Dont be an ass Superdave the people that watched him on the news for 12 years have questions that no one wants to answer but from what my sources say is that he had an affair and got the other women pregnant.

Superdave; I am one who cares how and why Harmon did himself in. So far the press coverage of this tragedy has been something akin to the fable of, "Three Blind Mice". Don Harman was a public figure and the local press has failed in the obligation to keep the public informed, rather choosing to dodge or cover up. I sure don't remember Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, David Carradine, Rock Hudson, Peter Jennings or scores of others plain folk "passing away", without plenty of digging and reporting by the media when there were the makings of a nice smutty scandal.

It seems quite normal that a perfectly normal person would want to know the truth about a public figure's death without being socially impotent, blood-thirsty or preoccupied. It is blatantly clear that the local media has allowed a connection to this person to overshadow a responsibility to objectively report a legitimate story.

Perhaps every family in Kansas City should be given the same pass that was handed out in this situation next time the media wants to stick their professional noses in the aftermath a crime scene or some silly local scandal.

This was the most amazing news embargo I had ever seen--it truly was a silence. In between being a bit annoyed, I was impressed. When I found out that it was because his dad was out of contact, I was glad it was done. I have no plans to commit suicide, but if I were to pass in a public way, I wouldn't want my mother to find out via some media outlet, either traditional or social.

I mainly was hearing via Facebook, friends who had heard or seen something on various grapevines. I put a note on SKC Observer's Facebook page, but did not even use the initials of the potential deceased because I could not corroborate at all the info I had from any reliable source. When the embargo broke at 1200, I noted it.

It would be good in the future that the media be equally respectful of the families of victims of public tragedies (homicides, accidents, and so forth).

I fully agree with The Observer. When my boss' plane went down in Overland Park in 2005, killing all those on board, the media frenzied and foamed at the mouth. It was all over the morning news within 10 minutes of the crash and none of the victims next of kin had been notified. 15 minutes after the crash Johnny Rowlands was doing a flyover and a few minutes after that I got a very distraught phone call from one of the victim's adult children whom I told to stay away from the office because news vans were already pulling up, knocking on the door, wanting to scoop a story. None of the crash victims were prominent or famous, no politicians, no sports figures.

No one wants to ask the tough question, so I will. They are plastering info about suicide prevention, hot line numbers, etc. all over the place. This is good, since suicide is more prevalent that murder, in this country. HOWEVER, no one is broaching the subject of the role WORKPLACE BULLYING may have played in aggravating Don's depression disorder. Your thoughts?

Anon 3:32 am: That is so very sick- makes me glad I'm only a contract player in the local news media!

Anon 3:35 am: I really- REALLY doubt it was "workplace bullying."

I've worked with Mike Thompson- Don's immediate boss- for years (since Mike worked at KCTV and we both worked at WDAF in the 1990's)and Mike's one Hell of a nice fellow.

Virtually all of the accounts I've read regarding Don's depression is that he had "The Blues" for quite a long time- so I think it was just a bunch of stuff was piled on Mr. Harman's mind so much he simply couldn't deal with it anymore.

You know- I wish all these people so dang curious HOW Don Harman died would simply divert their energies and PRAY for Don's family and friends.

Right now- MANY of them are wondering deep inside if there wasn't something they could have done to prevent this tragedy.

INSTANT SPAULDING

Please help keeping your fellow citizens informed. If you have information that may benefit others- instant message...On Windows Live Messenger- enter doctor_mulcahy@yahoo.comor use that address for emails to this site.

The tornado formed southwest of Ottawa-Kansas around 6pm and by 7:30pm- the killer vortex crossed the state line into Missouri.

Most of the unincorporated town of Martin City and nearly half of the fairly-new Ruskin Heights subdivision were eith heavily damaged or destroyed.

Forty-four deaths are officially attributed to the entire tornado's 71-mile path- 39 of those dying in Missouri.

This is the deadliest tornado in Metro KC weather history.

1961 - September -FLOOD - FLASH FLOOD -Flash flooding caused by a dying Gulf hurricane caused record floods on the Big and Little Blue rivers and their tributaries.

The heavy damage done to one of General Motors' first Chevrolet assembly plant in the Leeds district of KC-MO. helps lead to the plant's closing by the mid 1970's.

The flood brings about planning and in the 1980's construction of 2 new flood-control reservoirs - Lake Longview and Lake Blue Springs.

This greatly reduces flooding on the Little Blue River - opening up the floodplain to development in southeastern Independence and northern Lee's Summit, MO..

Yet land in neighboring Johnson County KS. is too expensive for flood-control projects for the Big Blue River - and continued flooding of the Blue Valley over then next 30 years would help lead to it's industrial-base demise.

1964 - April 12 - TORNADO -It's the first tornado outbreak in the Kansas City MetroRegion for many years.

Tornadoes cause damage southwest and west of Lawrence and in Leavenworth County and the city itself.

Other supercells produced tornadoes in Cass County MO. and around Pleasant Hill where one fatality occurred.

There were dozens of injuries all told in the affected areas with damage in the millions of dollars.

1965 - July -FLASH FLOOD - Smithville, MO. is ravaged by a flash flood on the Little Platte River.

Tracy - on the Platte River a few miles downstream from the confluence of the Little Platte - also suffers major flooding as the Platte River reaches a record crest that stands early into the 21st Century.

1966 - April 19 - TORNADO - A tornado forms over what was then farmland east of I-35 & 119th Street in Johnson County KS. and moves northeastward.

Within 10 minutes - the F-3-rated tornado strikes a new housing subdivision and barely misses an elementary school at West 96th St. & Knox in Overland Park.

There are several minor injuries and the tornado-bearing storm moves over highly-populated areas of southern K.C. & Independence, MO..

The official tornado warning wasn't issued by the National Weather Service or the local broadcast media until after the tornado had touched down - traveled it's roughly 4 to 5-mile-long path and lifted.

1966 - May 15 - TORNADO - A weak "white" tornado touches down near 15th St. & Minnesota in KC-KS.

It's only on the ground a few minutes but wreaks F-1 destruction to buildings & car dealerships along Minnesota.

A few people suffered minor injuries.

1966- June 8 - TORNADO - A day of tornado-producing thunderstorm supercells across eastern and northeastern Kansas.

One produced an F-3 tornado that struck Manhattan, KS. around 6 pm.

Another cell spawns the first U.S. tornado to produce 100-million-dollars worth or more of damage - the devastating F-5 tornado that struck Topeka, KS..

The wedge-shaped, multi-vortex tornado roared over legendary Burnett's Mound just after 7 pm and diagonally sliced through the entire city.

Sixteen people were killed and hundreds were injured that Wednesday evening.

Around 8:30 pm- a tornado then moved across Leavenworth County and kills one in the tiny town of Jarbalo.

1967 - January 24 - TORNADO - The Orrick, MO. tornado.

A rare mid-winter thunderstorm formed on the Kansas side just after noon and became severe over southern KC-MO..

Just after 1 pm- a tornado forms southwest of Buckner. MO. - gains F-3 strength after it crosses the Missouri River - and heads for the southwestern Ray County community of Orrick.

It strikes the in-session high school on the western side of Orrick- where 3 are killed and more than a dozen are injured inside the shattered school building.

The not-yet completed Longview Lake saved the Little Blue Valley from major flooding.

1984 - March - ICE STORM - A damaging ice storm affects a wide area of eastern Kansas and western Missouri - including the Kansas City Metro.

1984 - June 8 & 9 - FLASH FLOOD - Severe flash flooding affects Indian Creek from Olathe and Overland Park to it's mouth with the Blue River in KC-MO..

Hundreds of residents along Indian Creek from Olathe, Overland Park into KC, MO.. flee the record flood crests.

No one was reported hurt - but 2 young women were standed on a traffic island by floodwaters at 103rd St. & Conser in OP-KS for more than 2 hours.

A 6-inch rain guage in Olathe overflowed before it could be emptied and yet another 2.5 inches fell into it by 2 am on the 9th.

Based on this information plus flooding I was both witnessing and listening to in the Indian Creek headwaters and downstream, KCTV-CBS-5's meteorologist Mike Thompson was able to warn those downstream along Indian Creek of the danger live.

1986 - September - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding along Rock Creek in Mission, KS. & Brush Creek sends water again lapping at the curbs in the Plaza.

The Brush Creek flood control project - undertaken in the 1990's - has greatly reduced the flood threat for the Plaza.

However middle portions of the project not yet completed would have fatal effects on Brush Creek 12 years later.

1990 - May 15 - FLOOD - More than 8-inches of rain in 4 hours sends the Big Blue river into a massive flood and- at many points - flood crests exceeded records set during the 1961 flood.

By evening drive - there were only 2 routes open east or west across the Blue unless you lived south of Bannister Road: Independence Avenue ("Armco") viaduct and Interstate-70.

The Blue was channelized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the 1990's and greatly reduced flooding as would be illustrated 8 years later during the 1998 flash floods.

1993 - July 9 - FLASH FLOOD - After a slow-moving thunderstorm complex threatens Lawrence, KS with tornadoes then floods it - the complex moves into northern Johnson County KS..

Flash flooding is by far the worst on Turkey Creek - it's entire floodplain is inundated from Overland Park & Merriam into KC-KS then into Southwest Boulevard and the West Bottoms in KC-MO..

Dozens of residents have to be swiftly evacuated by police & fire departments on both sides of the state line. Several people have to be rescued from rooftops of flooded buildings along Southwest Blvd..

One man is later found dead.

Kemper Arena is also flooded and damage figures reach the tens of millions of dollars.

WDAF-NBC4's Mike Thompson stays on the air all night- relaying high water reports I was receiving by radio.

Later that day - the now-swollen Kansas River caused two boats to be torn from their moorings.

One - the old sand dredge The General Mitchell - struck 4 bridges and was severely damaged before 2 tugboats could push the Mitchell onto the Missouri River levee east of the Paseo bridge.

Along with post-8 am flooding and the General Mitchell- the author also videotaped the Missouri rising in Parkville, a make-shift levee and a "conga-line" of people heaving sandbags onto an overtopping Line Creek levee in Riverside, MO..

September 1998 had already been a wet month and the ground across the entire K.C. Metro was saturated.

On Sunday, October 4 - a morning of off and on heavy showers and thunderstorms produced serious flash flooding in southeastern & eastern parts of the Metro.

By mid-afternoon- the area was under not only under a NWS-issued a flash flood watch but also a tornado watch.

Around dusk- a huge thunderstorm complex formed west of Lawrence, KS. and- after deluging them- the complex moves eastward across northern Johnson County KS. into western and central Jackson County MO..

Over mid-town KC-MO - the storm dropped rain rates of 5-inches per hour from just after 7 pm..

A huge floodwave on Brush Creek overtopped the old Prospect bridge - sweeping seven people in and on top of their cars downstream.

(Minutes before this happened- an audio tape has this author pleading with a local TV weatherman over the phone to emphasize the flash flooding- rather than the tornado threat that we also were under.)

All 7 people drown- as well as a youth that Sunday afternoon in Blue Springs near Lake Jacomo and two others during the evening deluge - one each in Overland Park at a stormwater culvert that flowed toward I-435 east of Quivira and in Lenexa, KS on Little Mill Creek.

For the first time since the highway was opened around 1970 - both eastbound AND westbound lanes of I-435 just east of Quivira in OP-KS are flooded.

One man is barely saved from his pickup truck when it was washed off the eastbound lanes into the creek the gorged underground culvert was feeding.

Severe flooding again occurs on Turkey Creek - especially in Merriam- a portion of I-35 is closed by flooding for a couple of hours.

Southwest Boulevard is again flooded but water levels are not as high as in 1993.

Millions across America watching the Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks game on ESPN saw Arrowhead Stadium walkways turn into waterfalls as the game was halted for nearly an hour during the deluge.

2000 - May 11 - TORNADO - Surprise tornado north of The River.

"The threat of tornadoes in K.C. appears to be over."

That's what at least 2 TV weatherpeople say 15 to 30 minutes prior to a tornado touching down about 11:25 pm at 40th St. & North Oak in KC-MO..

The tornado destroys a car dealership- then rises to tree-top level for another several miles across heavily-populated KC-MO North towards the Worlds of Fun area.

Damage to trees and the utility grids was tremendous - at one point more than a million people in the KC MetroRegion lost power.

There were at least 4 fatalities attributed to some aspect of this storm.

Chief KC-MO fire dispatcher Wall and I saw it coming a few days in advance- and Phil's pre-storm advisories had the city ready to go when the ice began.

Again- this and $6 got us a small latte' at Starbucks.

2003 - May 4 - TORNADO - First fatality tornado in Metro Kansas City since 1977 - and on the 26th anniversary of the '77 storm.

A tornado touches down in S.E. Leavenworth County about 4 pm in the afternoon and intensifies to F-4 as it moves across I-435 into western & northwestern KC-KS..

Both fatalities occurred in a heavily-devastated area around 91st St. & Leavenworth Road.

The tornado moved across the Missouri river into Riverside & Northmoor, MO.- producing varying degrees of damage.

The now-weakened circulation reorganized about a mile north - then moves from southwestern into eastern Gladstone- causing most of the heavy damage there.

The again F-4 tornado now roars into adjacent KC North subdivisions and on northeastward into Liberty- weakened- yet causing heavy damage on the town square and the nearby William Jewell College campus.

Two die with around a dozen people injured along the total path of the tornado. Damage was in the several tens of millions of dollars.

This outbreak began an almost week stretch of severe weather- culminating with a May 8th tornado in southwestern Lawrence-KS that damaged an apartment complex and nearby homes and caused several injuries..

2008 - May 1 - 2 - TORNADO - Another surprise tornado north of The River.

An intense- but compact storm system produces severe weather around Metro Kansas City starting the evening of May 1 (SEE CaptGSpaulding's video on YouTube).

Just after sunset on May - a tornado warning is issued by the NWS when a small tornado touches down in an open field southwest of Belton-MO.

Yet no tornado warning is in effect in the early-morning hours of May 2 when an F-4 tornado strikes Gladstone- then an F-3 twister strikes a subdivision in far northeast Kansas City-MO North.

Less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries Metro-wide but daylight on the morning of May 2 reveal a man dead of what were reported as storm-related injuries near M-291 and Gudgell in Independence.

Damages Metro-wide were later estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.